Dream Interpretation: Enhance Recall & Decipher Key Themes

Posted on April 21, 2019

Abstract smoke in orange, red, and purple.


What does this dream mean, I don’t dream, I dream too much, I have scary dreams, I want to control my dreams, what are they trying to tell me and how can I sleep so I can start dreaming?

Understanding your dreams, recognizing key themes and being able to recall them are all key components on your spiritual path. We talk about this a lot, and have compiled a Dream Dictionary to help you better understand what’s going on in that night noggin of yours.

When it comes to dreams, astrological events can certainly enhance our dream state, but you don’t have to wait for perfect timing - we dream almost every single night, whether we remember it or not!

Even if you’re not particularly struggling with anything right now, tracking your dreams within the first 5 minutes you wake up could be extremely revealing - maybe there are helpful patterns there! Developing the habit of documenting your dreams can also help you guide them - to a point.

Lucid dreaming is one example of this - half asleep and half awake, the theory goes that you can control what you do while in dreamland.

It shouldn’t be lost on us that our dream world is one of the only places we can play out an entire scenario we wouldn’t touch with a 20-foot pole in our waking life! Depending on how emotionally attached you are to what happens in your dream can even help you move past an issue in your life where you’ve been wearing blinders.

Dream analysis is a very important component of your quest for enlightenment. Many are intrigued by it, but feel they don’t have the time to invest in such a thought-intensive process. It’s not rocket science, and you don’t need to invest a lot of time to dive deep into this part of your soul.

First up - set yourself up for a good night’s sleep and to easily capture your dream upon waking.

Prepare For Dream Recall

Dream Journal.

This is not an expensive piece of equipment or a special kind of paper that you need to capture dream content. It requires 3 things:

  1. Something to write with.
  2. Something to write on.
  3. Keep both within reach of your bed.

The first things you feel when you wake up are most important. Start an a.m. ritual when you take 2 minutes to jot a thing or two down. If you’re the type who really needs to be forced into this, try using your phone notepad or an app where you can easily jot down a few things as you check your messages.

It takes as long as you want it to, 5 seconds or 5 minutes. The more you practice, the more exciting your dreams become.

Get a restful night’s sleep, as often as you can.

It’s not important to get a good night’s sleep just on the nights you want to remember dreams. Dream recall - and understanding dreams and their meanings- requires practice and habit. This is how long term memory is formed - and dreams only occur during certain sleep periods.

Not getting enough rest means your brain won’t enter those sleep periods frequently enough during the course of a night, or over a certain period of time. If you want to make an intense study of your dreams, develop good sleep habits, or even better - commit to a consistent (and healthy) sleep routine. This puts your brain into the circadian rhythm you need to enter that REM sleep stage where dreams occur.

If you’re constantly waking up early, hearing noises in the middle of the night, or becoming distracted during sleep, by the time you fall back asleep, you have to start from the beginning of your sleep stages again. This will impede the dream process, but more importantly, impede your dream recall.

Don’t ingest anything at least 1 hour before bed.

This is a common dream recall tip makes good sense. How sensible were you the last time you had a few glasses of wine, during your conscious state? Did you have a tough time remembering what your friends were talking about 5 minutes ago?

If substances and chemicals impede our recall ability in our waking life, imagine how difficult it is to recall things that happened while we were sleeping when under the influence? If you must imbibe, give yourself at least 1 hour before bed to let your brain and blood metabolize what you’ve put in your system before attempting a restful night of dreaming.

The stronger the substances, the longer you have to wait for your brain to do the work before you go to bed. In other words, the closer to sober you are before you fall asleep, the greater your chances of recall in the morning.

Jog your short-term memory as soon as you wake up.

Dream journals are important tools when you’re studying your dreams and their meanings, but what’s the point if you can’t remember anything? There are ways to jog that memory in the transition between waking and dreaming life - so you do have something to write down.

As soon as you wake up, before you get out of bed, focus on something close to or on your bed. Before you can understand your dreams, you have to work on remembering them.

One easy method is to have a bottle of water on your bedside table. On the label is written the word ‘remember.’

  • The last thing you do before you close your eyes to sleep is take a sip of that water.
  • The first thing you do when you wake up is to take another sip of that water.
  • Then, immediately start to write down anything you remember about your dreams in your dream journal.

Save this bottle of water only for dream work. In time, you’ll start to remember more details, and recall things more clearly. Once this becomes second nature to you, you’ll be able to read through your dream journal and see where patterns are repeating. All of this can help you understand your dreams in greater detail.

By focusing on an object, you put your mind back into that dream state, and may even see that object turn into a significant clue from your dream world. Maybe it will become a doorknob or a set of keys, or a staircase that clues you into the whole rest of your dream story.

Whatever pops into your head in that moment is an important clue for dream recall. Write it down and ponder it throughout the day, and the rest of your dream details will follow. This simple trick can change dream content from short-term into long-term memory, because you’re constantly applying reinforcement techniques to make the transformation.

Wake up 15 minutes earlier.

This is a powerful dream recall tip because understanding dreams and their meanings is due to our sleep stages. We often remember dreams just as we wake up because dreaming occurs in the last stage of sleep - so of course this is the stage we’re in when we wake up.

If you wake up earlier than usual, even 15 minutes - you’ll find more frequent dream recall occurring. Write down or meditate on the things you’re thinking as soon as you wake up, even if you’re groggy and the words or symbols don’t make sense.

This is one of the most popular tips because you can begin manipulating and trying right now. Have you ever woken up wondering why you were thinking of someone or something? You were probably having a dream about them.

Next up - let’s check out the most common themes of our dreams, so we can better understand what they’re trying to tell us.

Key Themes in Dream Content

While some of the most common dreams include falling, having your teeth fall out, someone dying or being born and taking tests or being naked, there are larger themes going on within our dreams that we should pay attention to.

For example, you may be standing naked in front of everyone you work with, but what is the bigger message? Is it precognitive, when you anticipate a real event in your future? Or is it a problem-solving dream, where, by the end of the dream, you’re owning that meeting, naked or not?

Every living human, then and now, will have dream content that is unique to their soul’s journey, but there are certain themes that make dream study significant, and an important component of your journey towards enlightenment.

These are the most common themes and reasons to include dream study on your own personal journey and quest.

Problem Solving

There’s a reason for everything, and for why we dream the unique things that we do. They don’t happen for nothing. One of the most common reasons and themes of our dreams is about problem-solving.

You may simply be working out different outcomes in your head as you work through an issue that plagues you when you’re awake. Very often, this type of dream content shows you how to solve this particular problem.

Telepathic Communication

We talk a lot about soul connection and twin flames. Dreams are a very important portal for your soul connections, and for many people, the only portal. If people you don’t know or feel you know but you don’t know why, appear in your dream, this is often a soul connection or twin flame appearing to communicate with you.

Twin flames communicate frequently to each other, almost exclusively to each other, in this method. Soul connections often find other means, but use dreams as an important channel for telepathic communication, especially in times of crisis or epic change. Twins, on the other hand, might use it just to check in with you.

Some people describe seeing someone they love in their dreams, perhaps someone who has passed away, or someone they haven’t seen for a long time. They have listened to powerful messages of love or even gotten warnings from these messages, which also fall under this dream type.


Precognitive dreams foretell the future, and yes, you probably have them too! You just need to pay more attention to what your dreams are actually showing you. When you start paying attention, you begin to notice more and feel even like you are dreaming more. You aren’t, but you are just noticing more frequently that this information is important.

Every little symbol counts, especially in precognitive dreams, as sometimes just one flash of a dream can foretell an entire event or experience in your life, or someone else’s.

One example of this is where you just received one single picture of something, a place, a person, even an object, like a photograph almost, that just flashes very quickly, but seems significant. When discussing it with someone close to you, and brainstorming on its possible meaning, you might stumble upon an event, a relationship or an issue that could affect you in years to come!

Every. Symbol. Matters. The soul knows what the soul knows.

Secrets Revealed

In your waking life, you may experience situations or problems where you know you’re not getting the whole story to help you successfully navigate your problem. Maybe you feel deception around you, but aren’t sure why or how. Maybe you want to close a deal but just feel like you don’t have all the facts yet.

Maybe you’re considering a relationship, but there’s a nagging feeling about this person you can’t quite put your finger on. These secrets, and the many more that come up in your waking life, can be found in your dream content.

You may get a Tarot reading even for example to see if any of these hunches of yours are right, and be told, “All of the information is not available at this time.”

That’s because there is more to the picture that your waking life is not able to process, or is not receiving, at this time. This is when dreams become very powerful at revealing secrets.

Again, one little flash of a photograph or frame of a symbol can reveal all the information you need to make the best decisions in your waking life. You have these dreams for a reason, use them wisely! That simple clue at night could trigger your whole solution during the day.

Next, let’s talk about how astrological events and planetary transits can have a significant impact on your dreams and ability to recall them.

Astrological Influences on Dreams & Recall

Now that you know how powerful your dreams really are, let’s get you organized so you can start taking more control of your waking life by listening to these powerful dream messages. It’s easier than you think!



Dream content will be at its peak when there are certain planets, zodiac signs and even aspects at play. The planets most connected to manifesting powerful dream content are the Moon, which controls our emotions and Neptune, the planet that rules mysticism and imagination. Expansive Jupiter, the big thinker, can help you with dream work as well on occasion.

Neptune activity on any given day will certainly encourage dreams; when the Moon is in Water signs (Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer) however, you will also notice more powerful dream content if you’re paying attention.

When you see these planets in play in your forecast, be sure to mark those dates in your calendar as well!

You can save our free Astrological Calendar here if you want to keep track!

Zodiac Signs

Each zodiac sign carries their own themes and purposes for the soul journey, and the intuitive signs are often the signs that find psychic work, dream recall and interpretation the easiest.

The astrology signs said to be the most intuitive are Water signs Pisces, Scorpio and Cancer, because their emotional nature allows them to feel many elements of the Universe at once.

This is not to say other signs can’t be psychic or intuitive, just that Water signs are more in tune with the empathic vibrations necessary for psychic and dream work.

When Water sign activity is present in your life, whether in a free daily horoscope, forecast, or even in your chart; you can use this intuitive nature to aid in your dream interpretation. Pay attention to when Water sign activity manifests, as this is powerful dream-capture time.


Certain astrological aspects can also assist in dream recall and interpretation. Venus in Pisces is one example, and others to watch out for of course include Neptune, the Moon, and Water signs Pisces, Scorpio and Cancer.

When you see a double whammy, such as Neptune in Pisces, this marks an astrological period where dream recall can be very powerful. While the planetary activity alone on any given day can be powerful, more combined elements up the ante for dream content and dream recall.

Next up - let’s dig into how powerful dreams can affect your mood and relationships - and how, exactly lucid dreaming works.

How Dreams Affect Your Mood….

It’s no secret we get along better when we’re in a good mood. No one wants to be around someone when they’re crabby or sad! Dreams can affect your mood, and that can have a carry-over effect when it comes to your love life. You may not even remember what you’ve dreamed, but what happened in that dream may affect you throughout the day.

Nightmares can have a strong impact on your mood as well. When you have bad dreams, you restlessly toss and turn, even waking from them, trying to break their hold on you.

This can make you feel tired and irritable when you awaken. You may feel grumpy because you’re tired, or have an unsettled or nervous energy due to the resonance of the nightmare. This can be a hard energy to shake off, particularly if the dream was ominous or even sinister.

Conversely, a good dream can set you up for a great day. You may have dreamed of doing something fun with a good friend, or you may even have had a dream where you were having great sex! Oxytocin, a ‘feel good’ chemical released during sex, can occur during sexual dreams just as it can during actual intercourse. This can set you up for a great day ahead - and set the stage for a physical encounter later that night!

Dreams & Your Relationships

People who dream about problems in their relationship are more likely to have real issues with their partners than those who do not. Nightmares about your partner can sow seeds of doubt, creating friction between you. Even though dreams happen in the unconscious and you may not remember them, the residue of the negative energy remains. You may feel restless or unsettled and not know why. Perhaps it’s something you dreamed.

61 people were studied at the University of Maryland with regards to how dreams affected their relationships. The studies were significant in their findings. It found that dreams can have a predictive influence on a relationship. If you dreamed your partner was doing something bad, it could have a bad effect on the connection between the two of you.

These kinds of dreams can be manifestations of your fears. Perhaps you don’t feel secure in the relationship, frightened your partner is going to find someone else. This scenario could be played out in a dream, reinforcing your fears, and driving a bigger wedge of insecurity between you.

If these dreams become more frequent, or if they keep replaying a previous indiscretion you’re both trying to overcome, you may need to ask yourself if you’re doing the right thing in staying in the relationship. If your relationship is strong, you’re more than likely going to be able to shrug it off as a silly dream.

You may even be able to use it as a catalyst to kiss and cuddle and prove your dream wrong by increasing your physical intimacy. However, if your relationship is already wobbling, you may find your sex life suffers, too.

Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming means to be half awake and half asleep, and the theory goes that you can thus control what happens in your dreams. Obviously, this makes it an excellent tool for fulfilling things like sexual fantasies! When you’re dreaming of sex, particularly when you’re somewhat controlling the setting or the partner, then a climax in your dreams is just as real as one in reality.

Having dream sex about your partner is one thing, but what if you’re in a relationship with someone, yet you’re having orgasmic sex dreams about someone else? Once again, if your relationship is strong and healthy, there’s nothing wrong with this; it can actually strengthen your sex drive, and that can only improve your intimacy, right?

You may not even think you’re having a sexual dream - then all of a sudden, there’s your orgasm. Of course, the very best lucid dream sex is when you are dreaming of a wonderful and sensual connection, and you can reach out to your partner and bring your dreams to life.

Lucid dreaming can help you play out many different scenarios you struggle with as well. Issues with someone at work whom you fantasize beating out for a promotion, calling them out in front of everyone or simply working out your issues? Having that slight control over how you react in your dream can help you play out the scenario that would most satisfy you, without having to try it in real life.

Parting Thoughts

Everyone dreams - whether you remember them or not is something entirely different. There are easy ways to use dreams to improve your life, and when you start to work with them, you can unlock the secrets to a whole other dimension of fulfillment.

It may sound crazy, but it does work. Dreams are the language of the unconscious, and they are telling you valuable secrets. The key is to uncover those secrets, and put them into practice.

There are many wonderful reasons for understanding dreams and their meanings, and so many times when the Universe offers us the opportunity to explore them at a much deeper level.

Anyone with an interest can find opportunities when they arise! Of course, it’s up to you how much work you wish to dedicate to understanding what your nightly visions have to tell you, but like many other areas of life, the more you do, the more you will want to do as well.

Let us know how you did and post pictures of your Dream Journal covers to share with others on the same path!

Related Article: How To Interpret Bad Dreams For Healing

Photo by Lucas Benjamin on Unsplash


Vanessa Hardcastle is a hardheaded Taurus with an affinity for sarcasm, good books and large dogs. She is fascinated by sociology and behavioral psychology – what, exactly,… Read More »

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